With floodlights on and dark clouds hovering, on Day 4, Pakistan resumed at their overnight score of 223/9 as the third day was abandoned due to continuous stoppage courtesy of both rain and bad lights.
Mohammad Rizwan, who was not out on 60 could only add 12 more runs in his individual score before Stuart Broad picked up his fourth and Pakistan’s last wicket. It was undoubtedly Rizwan’s fantastic efforts that helped the visitors to post 236 runs in their first innings.
It's been a long wait, but it's finally time for a bat! 🏴🏏
Scorecard & Clips: https://t.co/yjhVDqBbVN#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/3N2Qzlfw8U
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 16, 2020
A handy knock of Rizwan has now put him in the league of some extraordinary Pakistani players. The wicket-keeper batsman with his 72 surpassed the likes of legendary Imran Khan and Ijaz Ahmed concerning the highest score at No.7 by Pakistan batsmen on the English soil.
Highest score at No.7 for Pakistan (in England)
- 88 – Zulqarnain Haider, Edgbaston 2010
- 72 – Mohammad Rizwan, Southampton 2020*
- 69 – Ijaz Ahmad, The Oval 1987
- 67* – Imran Khan, Leed 1982
Meanwhile, for the home team, Broad was the pick of the bowlers. The right-armer claimed a maximum of four wickets for 56 runs. Whereas, James Anderson also had a successful outing as he dismissed three batsmen. At the same time, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes bagged one wicket each.
However, England had a dreadful start when they came to bat. In the very first over of their first innings, opener Rory Burns (0) received a peach of a delivery from Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi. It was just the fourth ball of Shaheen’s over. He bowled an outswinger around the off-stump, but with the ball angling in, Burns had to play the shot.
Though Burns was trying to defend the delivery, yet it carried a healthy outside edge. The ball went straight to the second slip where Asad Shafiq made no mistake and grabbed the opportunity.
☝️ #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/F720hNltEK
— ICC (@ICC) August 16, 2020
One could understand the importance of Burns’ dismissal for a duck with a simple fact that the last English opener who got dismissed for a duck against Pakistan before Burns was Andrew Strauss back in 2010 at Trent Bridge.
England reached 7/1 before heavy showers yet again interrupted the proceedings. Currently, the Joe Root-led side is trailing Pakistan by 229 runs.
